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"Sometimes I think he positively avoids me," Clare wailed "There's

the house, Elizabeth Do youa "

"I wish you wouldn't, Clare He'd hate it if he knew"

She irl's flow

of talk had suddenly stopped She was thoughtful and impulsively

suspicious

"Look here, Elizabeth, I believe you care for hiht, Clare?"

"I' Your voice was so queer"

They walked on in silence The flow of Clare's confidences had ceased,

and her eyes were calculating and a trifle hard

"There's a good bit of talk about him," she jerked out finally "I

suppose you've heard it"

"What sort of talk?"

"Oh, gossip You'll hear it Everybody's talking about it It's doing

him a lot of harm"

"I don't believe it," Elizabeth flared "This town hasn't anything else

to do, and so it talks It makes me sick"

She did not attempt to analyze the twisted motives that made Clare